[CQ-Contest] Re: Where are the JAs

[BobK8IA at aol.com]

In a message dated 6/26/04 11:39:01 PM US Mountain Standard Time, 
n7mal at citlink.net writes:
Well Bob you have described the problem to perfection. 10 years ago if you
only worked 375 JA's in 10 hrs with a yagi & a kw you would have gone out
and chopped down your tower. 10 years ago, from out here in the west, you
should have had a JA rate of 50 an hour. I did many many times with only a
dipole and a vertical. 15 years, or so, ago I was at an MM in CQWW where the
40 meter op worked more than 1200 JA's in 10 hours.  Compared to years ago
the JA's almost no longer exist in contests. There are plenty of JA's around
when there is some 'juicy' DX because you can easily hear the 'wall' of
JA's, but they just don't seem interested in contesting.
My original thought was they were out-growing contests because I only
noticed ages over 60. However, I ran the contest through a spreadsheet and
found the average age to be 45.2.
I would really be interested to hear from some JA's why the contest activity
is so low.
73

MAL                N7MAL
BULLHEAD CITY, AZ

Good info. I have to bow to Mal's expertise since he has been here in AZ a 
heck of a lot longer than I have! I am a relative newbie when it comes to 
propagation out here and I guess it shows sometimes. It appears I was content with 
what I was working and not what I could have been working in the last decade, 
when I hadnt relocated here yet. It will keep me from chopping down my tower, 
Mal. ;-)

The JARL does have some interesting stats published for their All Asian 
Contests (the cw contest I based my conclusions on in my last email) going back to 
1996. Its shows some interesting trends.

AA CW - LOGS RECEIVED (1996-2003) - TOTAL LOGS/JA LOGS

1996 = 507/225
1997 = 636/296
1998 = 562/257
1999 = 791/359
2000 = 868/433
2001 = 877/362
2002 = 895/359
2003 = 883/409

Granted these are "logs received" and may not indicate actual activity of 
casual ops who never send in a log, both JA and others, but it's all we have to 
go by for AA CW. Significantly more JA logs received now than earlier. 

The top single band NA score (7 Mhz) during that time was VA7A in 1996 with 
613 Asian q's. From 1997-2003, that has varied from "no entry" to 437 q's, well 
below the 50/hr rate Mal mentions. 

I cant comment on the other bands, but 40 has been MUCH more productive here 
on 40m to JA than those bands. Other bands can be looked at thru the JARL 
stats.

http://www.jarl.or.jp/English/4_Library/A-4-3_Contests/AADX.htm

Mal, how come the 40m op in that MM in CQWW only spent 10 hrs on 40? During 
that time of the yr, we have 18-20 hrs worth of 40m JA openings in a typical 
CQWW weekend on 40. Run out stns to work after 1200 q's? ;-)

Its 6:30am here. Time for less brain power and more riding. CU on the road.

(Mal...welcome home, btw!)



73, Bob K8IA
in the shadow of the Superstition Mtns
Arizona USA
http://www.members.aol.com/bobk8ia/index.htm